save you
by xericmagic
Summary: Set in Fourth Shinobi War-AU/ Impossible. You're dead. It can't be./ "I came to kill you," her eyes softened a bit. "Kazekage-sama."/ She was far from the person he knew when they were young. Gaara x OC.
1. Prologue

_A/N: First fic! So, I've been watching since the latest episode in Naruto Shippuden, and this idea came. I decided to give it a go, lol. Please be kind and let me know what you think about it!_

_4SW - Fourth Shinobi War_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

**++ Prologue**

_Impossible._

She smirked as she unsheathed her katana, Kokushibyou, from its case secured on her back. A long time has passed since he last saw the sword—too long. He didn't even think that he'll be able to see it again.

_You're dead. It can't be._

"Gaara," she greeted the young Kazekage. Her tone was low and deadly, unlike the almost caring one that he used to know. She poised herself into a fighting stance and gripped her sword firmly.

_Perhaps she's a clone._

His sand floated around him protectively, sensing the threat that this girl possesses. He kept an impassive look on his face, but in his head raced a million questions.

He saw her die that day. He was there. No one could have survived that attack…or did she? No. Even he received injuries that day; even a Jounin couldn't have escaped that—

_You know that she was good enough to be one. _A voice in his head sneered. _Her kekkei genkai also enabled her to be invincible to harm._

It was true. Memories of their chuunin days surfaced in his mind but he pushed them away before they became vivid. He shook his head.

Now why is she here? Could the Elders have—he stopped the thought. _No, they wouldn't dare._

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together. The enemy knew that _she _was the only one who could undo him. They knew what she mea— _No! This is isn't the time for this. _He couldn't lose his composure. They'd know. But this…this is so cruel. Why her?

He raised his eyes and regarded her. Deep wounds and gashes decorated the otherwise smooth skin of her bare arms and her legs that her kimono didn't reach; the crimson blood was a clashing contrast to her pale complexion. Her auburn hair, which used to be silky and well kept, was limp and tied carelessly into a bun. Her eyes were still her most striking feature, he thought. Even from the fair distance between them, he still marveled at the power her mercurial orbs held.

_Power over you? _ The voice whispered mockingly.

No.

"Kaori," came her name by his baritone voice. Emerald met silver. "Why are you here?"

She smirked and leapt from the tree where she was perched on to where he was standing below. His sand coated him a little more, making a good barrier between them. Gaara could see her better now as she walked towards him.

She was still the same girl he came to know as his teammate; his friend. She has the same eyes, the same lean built, and the same gait.

_She's not a clone, she's the real thing._

She was taller now. She was a head shorter than he when they were younger, now she almost reached his eyes. Renegade strands of her hair swayed as she came to a stop before him. Her eyes—they were cold and thirsted for blood. He knew that look all too well. He has seen it in himself when Shukaku was still in him. Those eyes weren't hers. Those eyes belonged to a killer.

_But you were killers. Your three-man cell was the cream of the crop. They trained you to be weapons. You yourself… You know that you were born to be one! _The voice taunted him.

She wasn't a killer. She didn't kill. He didn't let her. He won't let her.

He could feel her chakra from her proximity. It certainly got stronger than he last time remembered, but it had a darker sense to it.

_Expect nothing less from—_

_You don't know anything! _He interrupted the voice. _Shut up._

The voice scoffed. _Denial. Fine, but you'll see._

"I came to kill you," her eyes softened a bit. "Kazekage-sama."

"I saw," he said suddenly which made her raise a perfect brow. "I saw you die."

She shook her head, and then chuckled. "I survived, but you left me." She gave him a sad smile and untied her hair. A wind blew her long reddish-brown hair to the side, a few strands glided against her face. Her wounds were slowly healing, eventually disappearing altogether.

_She's not a clone, she's the real thing._

She looked as fresh as a new doll, except her floral kimono has blood spatters, and that her shorts now had slits from the battles she must've fought earlier.

"I looked for you," he started, but she resumed to her previous stance. He prepared himself for her attack and continued. "I spent days, until I found your body."

She propelled herself forward and swung her katana at him. The sand barrier strengthened and deflected her assault. She weaved signs in a blink of an eye and thrust her jutsu on Gaara's defense. The sand stilled and fell to the ground. His eyes widened at her speed. In mere seconds, she has the tip of her blade pressed against his pulse on his neck.

"You didn't," she said in a cold voice. His face remained blank. A wind blew once again.

_He changed._

_She changed._

He held her hand.

She plunged in.

* * *

Kokushibyou - means _Black Death_

_R&R!_


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thank you to kyuubi anon, __xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx__, __Lieutenant Winter__ and __krausec __for the reviews! I appreciate it a lot! _

_Um, I don't know much about Gaara so I read him up in their wiki page. I decided to extend his friendly phase, lol. This is AU, so, yeah.. Chapter One now up, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

**++ Chapter One**

"Ohayou, Kaori-chan!" Everyone greeted the little girl standing beside Seiko-sensei. She fidgeted beneath their curious stares, but stayed her ground.

"From now on, she will be in your class. Please make her feel welcome!"

"Hai!" Everybody chorused cheerfully.

Kaori glanced at the gentle woman that stood next to her. She had strong pretty features, straight brown hair that was done in a high ponytail and equally brown eyes that seemed to calm her. _She has strong chakra. _Her reverie was broken when Seiko-sensei smiled at her and motioned for her to pick a seat.

For the first time since she arrived in Suna, Kaori smiled. She decided that she likes this woman, and then proceeded to scan the room for an unoccupied place.

Gaara observed the newcomer as she surveyed the room for a vacant chair.

She had sleek auburn hair, parted to the side, that framed her doll-like face and interesting grey eyes that seemed to hold mysteries. When she first entered the room, she caught the attention of many, mainly because she was unusually pale—paler than him, and that her clothing was different from theirs. She wore a floral kimono that reached until her knees and slippers, instead of the custom sandals that everyone in Suna wore. A wide maroon ribbon was tied securely to her lean frame, as if she would crumble if the ribbon wasn't there.

That was the other thing that he noticed, she seemed _fragile_ even though she appeared to be stoic. _Why?_ He shook his head. _I'm over thinking again. _

"Why don't you sit beside Gaara-kun?" Seiko-sensei suggested. Some gasped but they were quickly silenced by a look from their teacher. Kaori seemed oblivious to what happened and searched for the boy that her teacher was pointing at. Seated at the middle row was a boy who has short spiky hair in the same color as hers. He had dark rings surrounding his green eyes. He gave her a little nod; a sign that it's all right.

"Hai."

She began walking to her assigned seat. As she sat down, her new classmates waved at her. She waved back and gave them a small smile.

Yes, she will like Suna.

Kaori peered at her seatmate just as he turned in his seat to face her. Awkward silence filled their space, and then Gaara decided to introduce himself first.

"Gaara,"

She was surprised, although she didn't know why. "Kaori," came her reply. He inclined his head to the side, she mimicked him.

"Aa, nice to meet you. Where are you from?"

She didn't get to answer him because their teacher started with the day's lesson. Their class with Seiko-sensei went on for over an hour until she ended it with a brief overview of the basic skills they will learn tomorrow.

"Kaori-chan, why are you wearing a kimono? Won't you get sandy with just that?" a girl with blonde hair asked her as they filed out of their room. They were still in the academy building because a sand storm was raging outside. "I'm Yuki, by the way." She grinned and held out her hand for the other girl to shake.

"It's the only thing that I have," Kaori replied as she shook hands with Yuki. "Don't worry, I won't get sandy."

"How?" the blonde looked at her quizzically. She gave the pale girl a once over and couldn't find anything that would prove her new friend's claim. The redhead just smiled at her.

"You'll see." Kaori said. She looked out the window to see that the sandstorm passed already. Tying her hair up in a ponytail, she turned to Yuki. "Ne, Yuki-chan. I'll be going now. See you tomorrow."

"Hai. It was nice meeting you, Kaori-chan. Ja ne." The blonde girl said as she waved goodbye and raced with her other friends.

The rest of the class ran towards the great doors of the building. Some had their parents waiting for them at the lobby, while the others went home straight away. Gaara was one of the last ones who walked along the hallway leading to the entrance; nobody really liked him. The other one walking was his new seatmate.

He noticed her slumped shoulders and the slow steps that she was making. His eyes scanned the waiting room up ahead and saw no one but his two siblings. Gaara deduced that no one was there to fetch his classmate. He walked faster to fall in step with her.

"Kaori," he called to her. Her hair swayed back to reveal her sad face when she snapped her head up. No trace of such sadness was seen however when she greeted him back.

"Gaara-kun," she said as she readjusted her maroon ribbon. "Are you going home, too?"

"Hai. How about you?" he asked her as they neared the lobby. He saw Temari and Kankuro stand up to get ready for their departure.

"Hai."

"Who will come and pick you up?"

They stopped at a fair distance from his siblings. She turned to him and gave him a ghost of a smile. "Rijou-san,"

His eyes widened. _Rijou-san? But why will a jounin fetch her? Moreover, why him? _"Why?"

The young jounin stirred fear in him. He's seen him enough times to know what he's capable of. Although he's one of his father's prized assassins, Rijou-san had a friendly aura—which scares Gaara even more. In addition to that, no one has ever seen the jounin's eyes. They were always hidden in the shadows of his mask. No one knows what his eyes could tell.

Kankuro manipulated his puppet as he watched the exchange between his brother and the girl in the kimono. _Ah, so she's the one. _He scrutinized every movement from her—from the way she flicked her wrist to tuck her hair behind her ear to the way she glided to the side to make way for Seiko-sensei to pass. He had to look for signs in case she's a threat to Gaara. _You must protect your brother_, their father said just moments ago. There seemed to be none…so far. He had to give it to her though. She was graceful and her movements were precise. _She could come out to be a skilled shinobi after the genin program._

"Gaara," Temari called the attention of her little brother. _He's taking too long. _"We should go." She snapped shut her fan to make her order clearer. _Father might get angry again._

Gaara nodded to her and glanced at Kaori. "I should go. Take care."

"Ja." She waved as they exited through the doors. She sighed and rubbed her temple. It was a tiring day, but not as tiring as the journey to Suna. She felt his presence before he even uttered her name.

"Kaori-hime," said a deep voice.

* * *

"Gomen nasai, Kaori-hime," Rijou bowed as he apologized to the young princess. They have just arrived home. He opened the door for her, and then sealed the doors and locked the windows when they were both inside; another sandstorm was brewing.

"I told you not to call me that, Rijou-san," Kaori said exasperatedly. She removed her hat and clapped her hands together. The sand that once dusted her entirely stilled and fell to the ground; she was clean again. She did the same to her guardian.

"Arigato, Kaori-h—" he was cut off by a glare from his master. "Kaori-san."

"You're almost there, but that would do for now," she said smiled. She walked over to their coffee table in the middle of the living room, and took her seat. "Tea?"

"Ah, yes. I'll be making dinner as well."

As her guardian went to the kitchen to prepare their meal, Kaori pondered on the day's events and the odd behavior of Rijou when he arrived to fetch her from the academy. He wore a hooded expression. _He didn't even ask me about what happened today. I wonder what's wrong with him. _She twirled a lock of hair as she observed the sand making weird shapes on the window.

Sand. Her thoughts flew to Gaara. She had been hearing a lot of things about him, even when she was still on her way to Suna. Everyone seemed wary of him. She doesn't understand why. _He seems nice, _Kaori contemplated as she recalled the lobby incident. He was guarded however when she mentioned Rijou.

She smirked to herself as she realized what _might _be the reason for her friend's uneasiness with the mention of her guardian's name. _He's scared of Rijou. _She chuckled quietly at the absurd notion. Her brief amusement was cut short by the nagging feeling she had been having all day.

Something happened—that she knows. _But what? _

Just as the sandstorm worsened, Rijou walked stiffly into the room. He carefully placed their bowls on their respective places on the placemats. He poured tea into their cups, and then they ate in silence.

Every now and then, he would peer at the little girl who sat in front of him. She looked peaceful but the rigid set of her shoulders told him otherwise. He frowned at her. _She's too young to know, but she has to. How should I tell her?_

Kaori felt the tension in the air, and she's sure that the jounin does too. She could feel his subtle peeks at her. She couldn't take it anymore. She slammed down her chopsticks causing Rijou to look up at her curiously.

"What's the matter, Kaori-san?" he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She narrowed her grey eyes at him; the same ones that he has.

"I'm not buying that. _What _aren't you telling me, Rijou-san?"

_She knows. Does she? Could she feel it too?_

When he didn't respond to her, she closed her eyes and tried to push down the paranoia that was slowly making its way into her system. Dread was pooling in her stomach. When she opened them, she found out that Rijou removed his mask; he never removed them before. What stunned her were his eyes. They weren't the usual grey that their clan possesses. This time, they were darker and had a tinge of violet in them. It only meant one thing.

"I'm sorry, Kaori-hime." he started. _I should just tell her directly. _He was about to continue when the little girl suddenly stood up. He looked up to see her in the verge of tears.

"You're lying. Lying is wrong." Kaori said through her gritted teeth. Now is not the time for cruel jokes. Rijou isn't that heartless to do that to her.

"Our eyes never lie, Kaori-hime," he felt his own tears trekking their way down to his cheeks. "They're dead. We're the only ones left."

"You're wrong!"

And with that, she stood up and left.

She sent herself to the sandstorm.

* * *

_I wrote it on a whim since I got excited by the reviews. I apologize for the errors._

_PS: I think I need a Beta. PM if you're interested. Thanks! _

_R&R!_


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